


Some People Just Aren't Meant to be Parents

by tears_of_the_sun



Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Fluff, Homophobia, Multi, Racism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-08
Updated: 2020-05-08
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:35:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,549
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24076831
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tears_of_the_sun/pseuds/tears_of_the_sun
Summary: Buck's parents drop by on their newly married son whose hiding a few things from the people he loves.
Relationships: Evan "Buck" Buckley & Maddie Buckley, Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz/Bobby Nash
Comments: 3
Kudos: 142





	Some People Just Aren't Meant to be Parents

Buck and Maddie were having a wine night at Buck’s apartment, just the pair of them. No husbands invited. They were sitting at Buck’s dining room table, talking about calls they had and other funny things that were happening in their lives.

“So, how’s life with Eddie?”

Buck stifled a laugh, “He’s good. Chris is good too. He’s adjusted pretty well to the idea of two dads.” Buck said with an eager, proud parental smile.

Maddie laughed at Buck’s eagerness to talk about Chris. She loved how much her brother talked about that boy. “Buck, when are you going to move in there?” Maddie asked gently.

Buck took a sip of his wine and shrugged. “When I stop getting letters from the parental unit,” he said and shifted uncomfortably.

Maddie bit her lower lip, “You, too?” she asked, and Buck nodded.

Maddie rolled her eyes. They were a whole country away from them, when would they ever be far enough to be able to live their lives not in fear of judgement anymore?

She couldn’t imagine what this was doing to Buck, or to Eddie. Buck never spoke of their parents, “Buck, why does Eddie think you haven’t moved in?” she looked perplexed.

Buck shifted again uncomfortably, sighing. “He thinks I did.”

Maddie raised her eyebrows at him. “You’re lying to Eddie?”

Buck immediately got defensive, “No, no I’m not. I mean I don’t sleep here anymore… I have moved in there.. I’m just still paying rent….” He looked down, ashamed. His parents were homophobic, but he didn’t have anything to be ashamed of. He was in a no win situation.

Their parents really weren’t bad people… they just had.. their own views on the way a life should be lived. And if you didn’t fit into those views.. well..

“Buck, you’re asking for trouble” Maddie warned.

Little did she know, she would be so right, so very right.

~

Buck has thought about what Maddie said for the last two months. She was right. But things with Eddie were amazing, and great. And he was kind and loving and spontaneous.

Eddie was perfect

Eddie was, well, Eddie.

Buck didn’t want to mess any of it up. So, he didn’t bring it up. Then, the longer he didn’t bring it up, the harder it was to bring up.

The team was on a 24-hour shift. They were all crashing in the bunk room when Buck’s phone went off and he crawled out of bed sneaking out of the room before he answered.

“Hello?” he asked in a groggy voice, cringing at the bright fluorescent lights of the station.

“Evan! Great, so good to hear from you. Your mom and I are at your apartment, where are you?” his father’s chipper voice greeted Buck. He cringed when he heard where they were.

Eddie awoke, feeling an emptiness in the spot where Buck should be. He too got up and snuck out of the bunk room. He found his husband standing just outside the door looking pale as a ghost.

“Well, dad i-I’m on a run.” Buck said into the phone.

His parents didn’t know he was actually a firefighter. Eddie gave Buck a confused look, though Buck hadn’t fully comprehended that Eddie was next to him.

“Well, son, come on home and let us in! we’re exhausted.” His father said still in his chipper voice, “Of course.” Buck replied and hung up the phone.

Buck turned and went back into the bunk room, “Bobby?” he whispered gently shaking the man awake.

Bobby groaned, his eyes focusing on a panic-stricken Buck. “Buck?” he whispered back and was immediately awake. He got up and followed Buck out of the room. Miraculously, the team was still asleep. Well, Hen and Chim were still asleep.

Bobby, Buck and Eddie stood around the kitchen, Bobby starting some coffee. “Buck, what is it?”

“I-I have to go.”

Eddie looked at him confused, and Bobby did the same. “Why?” Eddie asked, kind of snorted. He was worried but honestly thought Buck was just joking around.

Buck had a quick expression of pain flash across his face, and he gulped.

“My homophobic parents are in town.. a-and they don’t know we got married… and they don’t know that I’m not living in my apartment, but I’m still paying for it.” Buck glanced from Eddie to Bobby.

“Buck, don’t worry about the shift, go do what you need to do.”

Buck nodded and thanked Bobby walking out of the station, Eddie quick on his heels. “Buck!” he yelled, “We need to talk about this!”

Buck stopped, the two men now standing between the fire trucks that towered over them.

“Eddie, I am so so sorry. I should have told you. I never thought they would come, I only kept the apartment in case they did. I’m not ashamed of you or Chris. I love being your husband, and I love being his papa. But I have to go so this is going to have to suffice for now.”

Buck planted a soft kiss on Eddie’s lips and ran out of the station, forgetting to change.

Eddie stood there, dumb founded.

Buck lied about being a firefighter. Where he lived? Who he was with? He had been worried, but accepted Buck’s little love speech. He knew this had to have been hard on Buck. Harder on him than it was on Eddie, but still, he was worried.

He watched the taillights of the Wrangler as they sped away from the station.

Eddie groaned and turned around going back up the stairs, past Bobby just putting his hand up in a ‘not now’ manner and laid down only for an alarm to go off.

Today was going to suck.

Buck got to his apartment and gave his parents brisk hugs and let them in.

“Son, what are you wearing?” his father inquired

“O-oh uhm nothing..” Buck sheepishly said, looking down and his father just shrugged it off.

They took his bed and got some sleep. Around six, when he knew Maddie would be up for work, he called her.

“Mads?” Buck spoke low, his voice barely above a whisper. He was out on his deck.

“Buck?” Maddie responded, starting to get nervous, “Is everything okay?” she asked gently.

Buck whimpered faintly, “Mom and dad are here.”

They were both silent.

“For how long?”

“I don’t know…. But I miss Eddie so I’m hoping not long.” He whispered

“Damnit.” Maddie grumbled, now extremely annoyed. “Why are they here? Why couldn’t they have just stayed in Pennsylvania.” She whined

“Eddie found out about the apartment last night,” Buck muttered, clearly mad.

Maddie sighed, “I’m sorry Buck. I’m sure he’s not mad.” She comforted, or at least tried to.

Buck had tears falling down his cheeks, he was so scared Eddie wouldn’t trust him anymore.

“Baby bro, I have to go. I’ll call you on my break and try to have Sue find someone for the second half of my shift. Okay?”

“c-can you call off?” Buck asked gently. He was incredibly nervous about being alone with his parents and how they would rip him to shreds, especially about being gay. And if he slipped and told them… he cringed.

Maddie took in a stifled, layered breath. She pondered the thought. “Yea. I will. I’ll be over in an hour. You good till then?” she asked gently.

Buck nodded, a sigh of relief escaping him, “Yeah, thanks Mads. You’re the best.”

They hung up and Buck sat back relief settling over his body, right as he was starting to relax his dad came down the stairs.

“Morning, Evan” he said with a faint huff.

Buck took after his dad in every way. His dad was also 6’2” and had blonde hair and blue eyes. His hair was starting to gray now, he was all muscles and no fat. He was retired, and primarily played golf now but worked out religiously. If he wasn’t golfing, or at home, then he was at church with his mom, or they were out to eat.

“Hi dad,” Buck offered up a smile, his body tensing back up.

Buck’s father poured himself a cup of coffee and sat down across from his son and sipped it. “So, what are you doing with your life.”

Wow, record breaking amount of time. Straight to the point.

Buck shifted uncomfortably. “Well,” he paused. Does he tell the truth and listen to how he’s got a one-way ticket to hell, or does he lie?

No.

He was done with lying. With hiding. If his father couldn’t love him for the person, no hero, that he was then he would have to just go shove it.

Buck took in a shaky breath and sipped his coffee, “I’m a fire fighter with the Los Angeles fire department, and I’m married.” He choked out and his eyes flashed with fear as he looked up to his father.

His father nearly dropped his coffee cup, “You what?!” he yelled.

“Firefighting is no place for a man like you. If I could even call you a man. You can’t even make it up a flight of stairs without loosing breath! You’re weak, you always have been. You don’t have the mental capacity for a job like that, you’ll put people in danger. And you’re married?! You got married and didn’t invite your _parents_?! You kept us from our only son’s wedding?!” he wasn’t yelling now. But his ability to say the harshest things in the nicest way possible never ceased to amaze Buck.

The word _parents_ stung. Like, biologically? Yes, they were his parents. But he preferred Bobby and Athena over them any day, and they had been at his wedding. Buck cringed as his father went on his tyrant.

“Who are you even married to? Some bimbo chick who doesn’t know an apple from an orange?”

Buck took a sip of coffee.

“Answer me, boy,”

Wow, “boy” his dad liked that one. It was probably his favorite insult.

“I’m married to a former Army combat medic, Eddie Diaz who is an amazing man and a wonderful father.” Buck met his father’s death glare with his own, standing up. “If you have a problem with that then you can get the hell out of my apartment.”

Buck’s father stood up and threw the full cup of coffee at the wall. He went up the stairs with a huff and woke his wife.

“Our son is a pansy queer janus idiot and decided to marry a minority spanish man. Get up, we’re leaving.” Not giving his wife much more explanation than that, they grabbed their bags and left with the door slamming behind them.

Buck had his hands resting on the table, and he stood there for a moment in shock. He was shaking, his entire body. That could have been much worse. It could’ve been better, but it could’ve been worse. All of the insults his father had thrown out had stung, but nothing had rattled him more than the coffee cup. He slowly sat back down at the table.

He called Maddie, biting his lip so hard it started to bleed but he didn’t even notice. “Hey Mads,” he said gently

“Buck? What’s wrong?”

“nothing u-uh they left. So, you don’t have to come over…” Buck looked down at his own coffee.

“Buck, what happened? Are you okay?” she asked gently.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Really, it’s no problem. Don’t worry about it. I’m gonna go over to Eddie’s anyways.”

Maddie sighed, “if you insist…” she said wearily. She wasn’t wild about Buck being alone or driving.

“I’m _fine_ Mads, promise.” And Buck hung up.

He texted Eddie,

_Gonna be out all day, don’t wait up_

Little did he know, Maddie immediately called Eddie after she hung up with Buck.

“Maddie?” Eddie asked gently into the phone, confused by his husband’s message. He had been just about to reply when she called.

“I’m worried about Buck. I’m still ten minutes away from his apartment, how close are you?” she sounded frantic. She had only known her brother to use the words I’m fine once, and he landed in the hospital afterwards.

“I’m about five, three if we take the rig. Why? Is it that bad? He said he would be out all day.”

Maddie groaned, “Get over there.” And hung up.

Eddie yelled up at Bobby, “Bobby we gotta go! NOW!” the team ran down the stairs and got in, no questions asked.

They drove to Buck’s apartment and let themselves in.

Buck was.. okay? Granted, he was sitting on the couch curled up in a tiny ball crying with a bottle of pills in front of him. Eddie ran over to him and pulled Buck into his arms. Buck rested his head on Eddie’s chest and cried.

Bobby pulled the rest of the team out, they couldn’t offer Buck any comfort right now, and he knew Buck wouldn’t want them to see him that low. They left Eddie there and headed back to the 118.

Eddie held Buck close, the man now pretty much sitting in his lap. Buck’s body shook softly with sobs and he hid his face in Eddie’s neck.

“Buck, baby, what happened?” Eddie asked gently, rocking them back and forth slowly.

“i-i…” was all Buck could get out before his sobs became uncontrollable again.

Maddie rushed in to find Eddie with Buck tightly in his arms. Her eyes flashed to the bottle of pills but was relieved when she saw the bottle cap was still on. She walked over and sat next to them on the couch.

“Buck, they’re gone. They’re probably on the next plane out of here,” Maddie whispered, extending her arm to stroke her brother’s back. Buck whimpered gently, and her eyes softened. “Buck..” she whispered.

Buck cried wrapped in Eddie’s arms for a few more minutes then calmed himself down until he was just sniffling.

He slowly moved so he was sitting on the couch and not his husband. “I told dad. About being a firefighter and that I was married to you,” he mumbled softly, but loud enough for both of them to hear.

Maddie could only imagine what the man had done but was thankful that they had left. She was very evidently worried, but also furious and Eddie took note. He pulled Buck closer protectively and held him close. Buck felt the strength that was Eddie, and kissed his cheek gently, “I-I’m okay eds..” he said gently.

Eddie gave him a look, “mhm, sure.” And his eyes look at the pill bottle, causing Buck to sink down, shying away from Eddie.

“Buck, my love, it’s okay to not be okay.” He whispered kissing Buck’s cheeks softly, then his other cheek and Buck’s nose eliciting a giggle out of Buck. Eddie grinned, “There’s that laugh I love” he whispered then glanced at Maddie who was smiling ear to ear.

“Come on, let’s go home home and get some sleep. You’ll feel better after sleep and a shower.” Eddie suggested standing up and helped Buck up. Buck whined as he got up but nodded. He gave Maddie a hug and they walked out closing the door to Buck’s old chapter, and the broken coffee mug with a soft thud.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked this! Feel free to drop your comments and feedback!


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